To be safe and effective, medical instruments, such as surgical tools, must be provided to an operating room undamaged and sterilized (e.g., free from contamination from foreign substances or organisms). Surgical tools are sterilized prior to use using a variety of different processes, including steam sterilization, chemical sterilization, and radiation sterilization. Surgical tools may be cleaned sterilized after being used. However, to avoid the costs associated with cleaning and sterilizing surgical tools, single-use, disposable surgical tools may be used. Such disposable surgical tools are sterilized by the manufacturer and provided in a kit.
To maintain sterility, the surgical tools may be sealed in sterile packaging for transport and storage. Some surgical tools, such as blades, gouges, or other cutting instruments may have tips or edges that need to be kept sharp. These tips or edges could be damaged during transport or storage. Additionally, such instruments could potentially damage the packaging in which they are stored and transported, compromising the sterility of the instruments. Some tools may, therefore, be packaged with a protector, such as a silicone sheath slipped over a sharp edge or point. The protector serves both to protect the sharp edges or points from damage and to protect the packaging from being damaged by the sharp edges or points.
Kits containing surgical tools may include tools such as drilling guides and tissue protectors that are configured to provide a passage through which other tools are passed. While necessary for many medical procedures, these tools are often separate from the active surgical tools and represent additional bulk for an inclusive kit.